Americans are proud of their variety and individuality, yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general．Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian（百姓的）clothes．People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform．The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes．Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform．What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity（身份）than to step out of uniform?

　　Uniforms also have many practical benefits．They save on other clothes．They save on laundry bills．They are tax-deductible（可减税的）．They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

　　Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them．Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement．When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

　　Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems．Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes．Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality _______.

　    A．still judge a man by his clothes

　    B．hold the uniform in such high regard

　    C．enjoy having a professional identity

　    D．will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

People are accustomed to think that a man in uniform _______.

　    A．suggests quality work

　    B．discards his social identity

　    C．appears to be more practical

　    D．looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

The chief function of a uniform is to _______.

　    A．provide practical benefits to the wearer

　    B．make the wearer catch the public eye

       C．inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself

　    D．provide the wearer with a professional identity

The best title for this passage would be _______.

　    A．Uniforms and Society

　    B．The Importance of Wearing a Uniform

　    C．Practical Benefits of Wearing a Uniform

　    D．Advantages and Disadvantages of Uniforms

　The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women. During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman‘s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until retirement(退休) at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by modern living conditions.

　　This important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women‘s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left schools at the first chance, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women usually marry younger, more married women stay at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with the both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them.

　1.According to the passage, around the year 1900 most women married ________.

　　A. at about twenty-five B. in their early fifties

　　C as soon as possible after they were fifteen

　　D. at any age from fifteen to forty-five

　2. We are told that in a common family about 1900 _________.

A．many children died before they were five

B．seven or eight children lived to be more than five

C．the youngest child would be fifteen

D．four or five children died when they were five

3.When she was over fifty, the late nineteenth-century mother _________.

A．would be healthy enough to take up paid jobs

B．was usually expected to die fairly soon

C．would expect to work until she died

D．was unlikely to find a job even if she wanted one

4.According to the passage, the women of today usually _________.

A．marry instead of getting paid work	B．marry before they are twenty-five
C．have more children under fifteen	D．have too few children

 

　The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women. During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman‘s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until retirement(退休) at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by modern living conditions.
　　This important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women‘s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left schools at the first chance, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women usually marry younger, more married women stay at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with the both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them.
　【小题1】According to the passage, around the year 1900 most women married ________.
　　A. at about twenty-five B. in their early fifties
　　C as soon as possible after they were fifteen
　　D. at any age from fifteen to forty-five
　【小题2】 We are told that in a common family about 1900 _________.

A．many children died before they were five

B．seven or eight children lived to be more than five

C．the youngest child would be fifteen

D．four or five children died when they were five

【小题3】When she was over fifty, the late nineteenth-century mother _________.

A．would be healthy enough to take up paid jobs

B．was usually expected to die fairly soon

C．would expect to work until she died

D．was unlikely to find a job even if she wanted one

【小题4】According to the passage, the women of today usually _________.

A．marry instead of getting paid work	B．marry before they are twenty-five
C．have more children under fifteen	D．have too few children